A service that searches a database in order to search for nearby facilities (gas stations, parking lots, convenience stores, restaurants, etc.) and suchlike has been put into practice in vehicle-mounted information terminals and the like. Searching by voice inputs and outputs rather than having to use the hands is preferable for drivers.
However, in a search by voice inputs and outputs, when search results have been narrowed down by various search conditions but the subsequent search results are unsatisfactory or the like, it is difficult to return to desired previous search conditions and search results. This is because, in a case of input and output by images or text, search conditions or search results are fixed and remain as text or images or the like on a screen or the like, but with input and output by voice messages, search conditions and search results are not fixed thus.
As a method for operating a system by voice inputs and outputs, a method of operating a system by voice inputs of arbitrary words that have been included in voice messages played by the system has been proposed.
Further, as a method for acquiring detailed information such as news items by voice inputs and outputs, a method of voice inputs of arbitrary words that have been included in a list of news headlines outputted in a voice message has been proposed. Detailed information of the news item associated with a headline that contains the arbitrary word inputted in a voice message is outputted in a voice message.